If it weren’t for generations of gun control imposed upon Chicago residents, they might more fully embrace the live-saving benefits of conventional, law-abiding firearm ownership. Instead, among the good guys at least, there’s a paucity of gun ownership. That lack of gun ownership allows the bad guys to intimidate, bully and ultimately, to victimize the innocent with impunity. Gangs have gained a solid foothold in the neighborhoods and the “gangsta” lifestyle has proven to be hazardous to everyone’s health and well-being. We see that first-hand in a Sunday evening prayer vigil in Chicago for a 23-year-old ‘banger killed the day before when a van showed up and its occupants open fire on the crowd. One woman was killed, another is critical and a third got shot in the butt.
What a mess.
When will prosecutors start putting violent criminal actors in prison for extended terms? It’s not happening at the moment. In many cases, charges are dropped against arrestees. It’s not uncommon to see victims of criminal violence in Chicago (including murder victims) with dozens of arrests, many of them felonies, with only a handful of convictions. And when they are prosecuted, they are often grossly undercharged.
- A gang banger stabbed a good Samaritan in the chest for having the audacity to defend a mom and her toddlers from the gangster’s bullying in the Windy City. The stab puncturing a lung and nearly causing the victim to die from blood loss. The charge? Misdemeanor battery (up to 365 days in jail upon conviction).
- A woman (rumored to be a felon) carried a pistol in her purse to a nightclub (without a carry license), got drunk, then left the club and fired five rounds at people she was arguing with on a busy street in Rahm’s paradise. She was arrested thanks to witnesses identifying her (and a YouTube video that proved embarrassing for the city). The charge? Misdemeanor reckless conduct (up to 365 days in jail upon conviction).
- Three young men committed a drive-by shooting of a group of people at a public park, firing dozens of rounds, wounding three. After a short police chase (just like on the TV show Chicago PD), cops captured the would-be killers, and recovered three guns including an AR-15-style rifle. Prosecutors charged the three with Unlawful Use of Weapons, a Class 4 felony (punishable by 1-3 years in prison upon conviction).
Couple that with prison time in Illinois is like dog-years in reverse, and anyone can see that there is zero concern about arrest or potential incarceration among these people with almost no impulse control to begin with.
Chicago isn’t safe.
The Sun-Times has the gory details.
Officials: Woman shot to death at vigil for man slain day earlier
A woman was shot to death Sunday night at a vigil on the same Brainerd neighborhood block where a man was killed a day earlier on the South Side, officials said.
The 18-year-old was among three people shot at 8:07 p.m. in the 8900 block of South Justine, according to Chicago Police. The group was standing outside at the vigil when a grey minivan drove toward them and two people got out and began shooting. The shooters then got back inside the van and drove away.
The woman was shot in the head and pronounced dead at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park, police said. The Cook County medical examiner’s office did not immediately confirm the death.
Two boys — 16 and 17 — were also wounded in the shooting and taken to Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, authorities said. The 17-year-old was shot in the right arm and was in critical condition. The younger man was shot in the buttocks and his condition had stabilized, police said.
We’ll see how many arrests and convictions these “boys” had when my friends at Chicago Police send me the daily sitreps.